@Gargron you don't have to scream "NOOOoooo YOU IDIOOOOTt" at them, testers are pretty humble already

@Gargron Indeed. Users do so many things we never expect.

@Gargron For some reason I can't click on this.

@Gargron she is all of us..
https://youtu.be/baY3SaIhfl0

@Gargron Or exciting! You’re about to learn something you never thought of before.

@Gargron Dev: look, you can do A, B & C. Also E, F, & G offer great functionality.
User: But how do I do 1, 2 & 3?
Dev:

@Gargron
Humbling yet enriching. Things you did not see before become clear.

@Gargron
“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.”

@Gargron UX testing is easily the closest I've ever gotten to being absolutely depressed.

@Gargron Ever watched a user encounter one of your bugs during testing? 😬

@Gargron You're a developer, why don't you have UX designers doing that?! We don't write code for a reason, and it's not because we can't figure-out how to do it. Design is a skill, and knowledge of usability heuristics takes years to develop as a dedicated craftsperson.

@Gargron I have an "all complaints must be in the form of a tested PR in order to be reviewed" policy.

@Gargron
Pesky boundary conditions? 😉

@Gargron but when you revise it and test on the next cohort of subjects and it works? Amazing.

@Gargron Heads up! You are already way better than most Open Source Software out there! 👍😁

@alecaddd

@Gargron periodic (and stingy) reminder that software are made for people

@Gargron
The old adage:
You can make it foolproof but you can't make it idiotproof.

@Gargron Which is better than releasing a new version without a lot of user testing and then the subsequent 18 months of dealing with user hate mail.

@Gargron that is why it’s called the crying room!

@Gargron I'd say it's up there with watching the UI team develop against the API you built.

@Gargron

Indeed not, but also nothing more rewarding when the user compliments you for making their life easier rather than more difficult.

It is rare to find a #dev who even considers the user and what they are trying to achieve, let alone tries to improve the user's life or respond to their feedback, so more power to your elbow!

@Gargron Also horrifying.

@Gargron I love watching user testing with engineers who have never seen users interact with their work before.

Seeing the 1st user get stuck never clicking a thing/going to the wrong place/etc.: Uh, that can happen, probably a fluke, maybe someone who’s not that tech savvy 😅

Seeing the 2nd user do the same: No… please… just click the thing! It’s right there! Please, I beg you 😭

Seeing the 3rd do the same: Alright, this is bad; we gotta fix this thing. Let’s get to work 💪🏼🙌🏼

#UserTesting

@Gargron the most excruciating hour of my life was watching a blind user test the UI I was part of building and took pride in. Humbling.

@Gargron

I feel your pain!

@Gargron can you please give an admittedly paranoid user who loves #Mastodon your direct personal assurance that you are not going to jump through the legal and administrative hoops necessary to sell #MastodonSocial to private investors?

@Gargron I wish...

@Gargron

Cool, how about removing the dark patterns from the mobile app design?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_pattern

@Gargron @kevinrns
Otherwise known as the “Oh, shit!” hour.

@Gargron EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. :revblobfoxcrylaugh:

@Gargron

"Just click the button."

"Go on, click it."

"Dammit, IT'S RIGHT THERE, ARGH"

@Gargron The real trick is not to try to give them instructions. You're not gonna be there to help every user, so get a grip.

@Gargron Yes! It is like skateboarding in that way, no hiding!

@Gargron

You got that right!!

@Gargron humbling???
No it's Rumbling !!

@Gargron I’ve seen developers repeat to fellow developers behind their one-way mirror, “How did we manage to select the *dumbest* users to test this?”

Only once — they only repeat it once, because the THIRD time in a row that it happens, they start to get very quiet.

@Gargron Me: (proud of how clear and intuitive I've made the UI to the really complex action X, despite not being a UI designer)

User: (clicks around for a minute) Um, so... How do I do X? I can't find it anywhere.

Me: Truly, I am not a UI designer!